Senior Programme Manager (Counter-Terrorism Protection of Vulnerable Targets Expert)

Contract

This is a IICA-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as International Individual Contractor Agreements. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's an external contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education. More about IICA-4 contracts.

Background Information - Job-specific

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) to implement the activities of its project the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility.

UNOCT was established by the General Assembly in June 2017. The Office has five main functions: (a) provide leadership on the General Assembly counter-terrorism mandate across the United Nations System; (b) enhance coordination and coherence across the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact entities to ensure the balanced implementation of the four pillars of the Strategy; (c) strengthen the delivery of United Nations counter-terrorism capacity-building assistance to Member States; (d) improve visibility, advocacy and resource mobilization for United Nations counter-terrorism efforts; and ensure that due priority is given to counter-terrorism across the United Nations System and that the important work on preventing violent extremism is firmly rooted in the Strategy.

In April 2022, UNOCT and the European Union launched the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility (the Facility), with the overall objective to provide rapid and flexible support to Member States in building their capacities to detect, prevent, counter, investigate and respond to evolving terrorist threat, while ensuring respect for international law, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee law as well as the rule of law. The Facility delivers three types of activities: a) advisory and mentoring support through the deployment of experts in a number of thematic areas determined by Member States’ requests; b) training activities or workshops; and c) limited provision of light, non-lethal equipment. It operates according to the following principles: 1) it is demand-driven, based on official requests from a Member State; and 2) it is complementary to other UN and EU support. Support delivered by the Facility takes in consideration the recommendations from the assessment visits conducted by the Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee, through its Executive Directorate (CTED).

This position is focused on the protection against terrorist attacks of vulnerable targets, which includes critical infrastructure and public places or “soft” targets. Thus, the Facility will implement this project in partnership with the UN Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets (VT). The Global VT Programme, which was launched in January 2021 and is implemented in cooperation with CTED, UNICRI and UNAOC and in consultation with INTERPOL, assists Member States' efforts to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks against their vulnerable targets, including critical infrastructure and soft targets such as urban centres, tourist venues and religious sites, supporting the implementation of relevant General Assembly and Security Council resolutions such as the most recent A/RES/75/291 and SCR 2617. The Programme is focused on delivering knowledge products, technical and capacity-building assistance, and developing synergies amongst experts across the world.

To support the Facility, UNOPS is developing a roster of specialists (the Roster), members of which will deliver assistance across the four pillars of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, depending on the specific need and context of the requesting Member States or regional organizations. Duration of the assignment depends on the tasks and deliverables assigned.

These are positions in UNOPS for supporting activities of the Facility. The incumbents of these positions will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility. The incumbents will become members of the Roster for the duration of the Facility, under a retainer contract. He or she will be offered short term assignments, with possible field deployments, depending on the needs of the Facility or of the requesting Member States.

The incumbent of this position will be a personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

Functional Responsibilities

Under the supervision of Cluster Head and in coordination with the Senior Programme Manager [Counter-Terrorism Protection of Vulnerable Targets Expert] will be expected to deliver high-level technical expertise to support Member States in strengthening their capacities in protecting vulnerable targets. The assignments of the Expert will be coordinated with the UNOCT Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets, especially when supporting the implementation of the Roadmap/National Action Plan on VT that the beneficiary country may have in place.

The responsibilities of the Expert may include:

• Undertake missions and conduct consultations with Member States requesting assistance with respect to the protection of vulnerable targets, including critical infrastructure and soft targets such as urban centres, tourist venues and religious sites, under the guidance of the managers of the EU-UN Global Terrorism Threats Facility and the UN Global Programme on Countering Terrorist Threats against Vulnerable Targets (including its partners: UNOCT, CTED, UNICRI and UNAOC);
• Provide high-level technical expertise on methodological approaches and resources needed (technical, human and financial) for beneficiary countries to be able to assess threats and vulnerabilities of vulnerable targets and draft risk-based protection and intervention plans;
• Provide technical advice to build scenarios and conduct real life or table-top exercises aiming at testing risk-based protection and intervention plans for vulnerable targets in beneficiary countries;
• Provide high-level advisory and/or mentorship services to national entities in charge of protection of vulnerable targets in beneficiary Member States to strengthen their management, planning and operational capabilities, and inter-agency coordination;
• Develop recommendations to improve security measures or operational procedures that fully comply with States’ obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law, and that integrate strong gender perspectives and address conscious and unconscious gender bias in the assessment of threats and vulnerabilities for risk-based protection of vulnerable targets.
• Prepare a variety of high-quality, written substantive outputs, including analyses, presentations, training materials, summary reports, related to their assignments.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

*****FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY"**** *********CANDIDATES WITH NO UNITED NATIONS OR UNOPS EXPERIENCE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY******** Education: - Advanced University Degree (Master’s Degree or equivalent), preferably in International Law, Law, Public Affairs/Public Administration, or any related field is required; Or - First Level University Degree (Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent) with a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience is required.

Work Experience required:

• A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in law enforcement or in the private sector as chief security officer is required;
• Experience in leading the drafting of protection and intervention plans for vulnerable targets (critical infrastructure and soft targets) is required;
• Experience in organizing table-top and full-scale exercises to test protection and intervention plans or in managing the security of large public events is required.

Desirable: (The following experience is optional. Candidates who do not have it are welcome to apply) - Experience working within law enforcement first responder intervention units is desirable; - Experience in delivering advisory or mentoring services or providing technical assistance to a range of audiences, including senior government officials, is desirable; - Experience working internationally with other law enforcement/security organizations is desirable; - Experience working with the United Nations is an asset; - Experience working in diverse country contexts would be an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required;
• Fluency in French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese or Russian is desirable.

Competencies

Develops and implements sustainable business strategies, thinks long term and externally in order to positively shape the organization. Anticipates and perceives the impact and implications of future decisions and activities on other parts of the organization.(for levels IICA-2, IICA-3, LICA Specialist- 10, LICA Specialist-11, NOC, NOD, P3, P4 and above) Treats all individuals with respect; responds sensitively to differences and encourages others to do the same. Upholds organizational and ethical norms. Maintains high standards of trustworthiness. Role model for diversity and inclusion.

Acts as a positive role model contributing to the team spirit. Collaborates and supports the development of others. For people managers only: Acts as positive leadership role model, motivates, directs and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate leadership styles. Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own role on all partners and always puts the end beneficiary first. Builds and maintains strong external relationships and is a competent partner for others (if relevant to the role). Efficiently establishes an appropriate course of action for self and/or others to accomplish a goal. Actions lead to total task accomplishment through concern for quality in all areas. Sees opportunities and takes the initiative to act on them. Understands that responsible use of resources maximizes our impact on our beneficiaries. Open to change and flexible in a fast paced environment. Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements. Reflects on experiences and modifies own behavior. Performance is consistent, even under pressure. Always pursues continuous improvements. Evaluates data and courses of action to reach logical, pragmatic decisions. Takes an unbiased, rational approach with calculated risks. Applies innovation and creativity to problem-solving. Expresses ideas or facts in a clear, concise and open manner. Communication indicates a consideration for the feelings and needs of others. Actively listens and proactively shares knowledge. Handles conflict effectively, by overcoming differences of opinion and finding common ground.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type: International Individual Contractor Agreement (IICA) Retainer modality Contract level: IICA-4 Contract duration: One (1) year with possibility of extension based on performance and funds availability Duty station: Home based, with deployments to the field

A retainer contract is issued for a period of time during which the services of the individual contractor are required intermittently. The individual contractor agreement on retainer basis will specify a “unit price” per day worked. For budgetary purposes, a monetary cap will be determined when the contract is awarded and issued. Please note that the retainer contract will not provide for a minimum, and payment will be made only after completion of work

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Information

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce.
• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.
• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. For more information on a retainer contract here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.